Cole's New Perspective
by CoGDork
Summary: In the aftermath of a Pokemon uprising, an abused child finds a new family and a chance to heal. Part of KenitohMenara's New Perspective universe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _**Before we begin, here are four important caveats to those unfamiliar with the New Perspective fan universe:**_

 _ **1.) The NP universe is, for the most part, a series of fics about people being adopted by pokemon that happen to involve AB/DL themes. I stumbled upon them quite by accident during a Google search for stories with themes of adoption. While I am not an AB/DL myself (I have used Google with safe search off. There are far more horrifying things out there than that. Dark, maddening things of which I dare not speak, lest I drag others into the abyss of insanity into which I have fallen), I was interested in the shared universe and general concept. Heartwarming slice-of-life stories are all too rare in fanfiction, and it seemed like a good break from my usual action/adventure oriented self-insert fics. There won't be any AB/DL themes in this story, so if that puts you off, don't worry. That said, if you have no problem with it, feel free to check out the other stories in the NP universe.**_

 _ **2.) The setting isn't mine, so if you have criticisms against the premise of adoption and talking pokemon that you can understand after taking medicine, don't blame me—I didn't come up with that. I just want to make the best story I can with this premise.**_

 _ **3.) This won't be a self-insert. It will, however, involve a small child with a tear jerking backstory learning to trust via a new family in ways that will likely melt your heart into goo from the adorable factor alone, so there's that.**_

 _ **4.) Last but certainly not least, the obligatory copyright warning. I own nothing of Pokemon, its characters or its universe. This is a non-profit fanfic and the only character I own completely is the protagonist. Along with any other OCs that pop into my head.**_

 _ **With all that out of the way, it's story time!**_

* * *

"They left me. They left me to die."

When a six-year-old child says such things, most would assume a high level of fear was involved. In the case of Cole Worthington, however, the words were a matter-of-fact statement, spoken in much the same way one would speak of the time of day. He wasn't at all surprised by this; the Worthingtons were less than ideal parents. When they weren't shouting at him, starving him, locking him up, or striking him for little to no reason, they were ignoring him entirely. The fact that his own mother and father were essentially abandoning him to his death to save their own skins was not unexpected in the least.

This was the only life he had ever known, and he had long ago resigned himself to it. The Human governments had long ago become dominated by Teams, turning peaceful tournaments into brutal death matches, with all other pokemon as horribly abused slaves. Then, suddenly, pokemon all around the region suddenly began to rise up in revolution, conquering the region and either capturing or driving out the corrupt human government entirely. When the news came of approaching pokemon and the failure of the last human defenses, Arnold and Hanna Worthington hurriedly packed their bags, grabbed everything of value they could carry, and made their escape in their private jet, leaving their only son behind them without a word—not even a second glance was spared for him.

Cole didn't care. Anything, even death, was better than the awful life he had lived so far-at least, that is what he told himself. His voice may not have betrayed emotion, but he was still a child, and his body language more than made up for his lack of tone. He crawled into the corner of the broom closet, closed the door, and curled up, fingers digging into his shins as tears rolled down his cheeks. He didn't even react when he heard the front door being broken down.

"Luca, lucario rio. Luca lu lucario..."

"Kangaskhan! Kanga khan khan kangaskhan kanga."

The Pokemon were here. Cole tensed up—he didn't know what was being said, but the voices were close. Just outside the door to his tiny room under the stairs. In spite of himself, he whimpered.

"Lucario! Rio luca lu!"

The door opened, revealing—obviously—a Lucario and a Kangaskhan, staring wide-eyed at the small, malnourished, scarred, crying child curled up into a ball in the back of a closet. Cole didn't look up. What was the point? They were going to kill him anyway. The Kangaskhan reached for him; he closed his eyes, bracing for the end.

It didn't come.

Instead, he felt himself being slowly and carefully picked up and inspected by the Kangaskhan, then gently placed into its pouch. For a moment, he could have sworn the pokemon and its Lucario friend looked worried, even horrified. But Cole knew better. This was just a convenient way to carry him to whatever end they had in store for him. Exhausted from the tears and fear, Cole fell asleep.

* * *

He didn't expect to wake up at all, let alone like this.

Cole was in a hospital bed, warm and soft; bright lights and soothing colors adorned the room. Then there was his stomach—why did he feel... full? Did someone feed him? He then noticed a tube sticking out of his arm, attached to a bag of clear liquid. Curious, he reached for the tube...

"No, don't do that! You need your fluids, dearie!"

The voice startled him. He looked toward the source, but only saw a chancey in a nurse's uniform. Did that pokemon just talk? Cole recoiled backward in fear, a startled whimper escaping his lips. The chancey held up its hands in a non-threatening gesture, speaking in a calm voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you, child. It's okay, you're safe now..."

Safe. Cole almost forgot his shock at hearing a pokemon talk when he heard that word. Did they actually save him?

"That," the chancey said, pointing at the tube and bag, "is what's been feeding you. You've been asleep for over a day, but you're not quite ready to leave here just yet. If you take that out, you won't get better as fast!"

Cole blinked in confusion. "Y-you... helped me?"

"Of course, dearie."

"But... but you're a pokemon."

The chancey smiled warmly, its voice oddly soothing. "A child is a child, regardless of species. You needed help, so we took care of you. You don't have to be afraid anymore, little one."

Cole tried and failed to process this concept; it was entirely alien to him. No one had ever helped him before in his life. Why should he trust anyone, let alone a pokemon—a _talking_ pokemon at that? Speaking of which...

"How come you can talk?"

"Pokemon have always been able to talk—humans simply couldn't understand us. We gave you some special medicine of our own making to fix that."

Cole frowned again. This didn't add up—no one goes through so much trouble to help a strange kid. He didn't know what the game was, but soothing voice or no, he wouldn't be fooled by this pokemon. He leered in suspicion at his charge, clutching the blankets toward him protectively.

"Why are you helping me? Really?"

The chancey continued to speak in a soft and comforting voice. If Cole didn't know better, he would have thought it was actually sincere about its desire to help him.

"Because in spite of what humans did to us, we want to be better. We don't want to do to anyone what was done to us. We want to make a better world, a world where no one is forced to fight against their will. A world where a little boy like you would be cared for and protected by his family, instead of being abused and abandoned by them. Speaking of which..."

It slowly and carefully walked towards him, smiling cheerfully as it did. "Would you like a new family?"

Cole did a mental double-take at that. "Huh?"

The nurse pokemon sat down on the bed next to him, gently wrapping its arm around the six-year-old. It was a strange feeling, one Cole was unaccustomed to—yet for some reason he found himself unable to pull away.

"You probably thought we killed whatever humans we came across, didn't you? Well, that's not the case. We drove them out, yes, but as I told you before... we want to be better. Children like you had no part in the crimes committed against us; your people were, in many respects, victims as well. Plenty of young ones like you have been adopted by new pokemon families already. Families that will love their children, and never, ever hurt them. How does that sound?"

Cole didn't know what to say to that. The smiling face, the kind voice, the promise of a better life; it all seemed too good to be true. He didn't want to get his hopes up—he knew better than that.

* * *

"Hrnng! That's gonna leave a mark..."

"Give up yet?"

"Not a chance!"

The Emboar stood up and brushed himself off before stomping the ground in an aggressive manner. With a snort, he smashed his fists together, shouting at the top of his lungs as his muscle mass suddenly grew. The Blaziken extended her talons in response, smirking as she gave her opponent a beckoning gesture. The Emboar complied, launching himself with surprising speed at her, a powerful punch missing her by inches as she countered with a fiery kick. The blow struck him hard in the side, but he did not slow down, sending a right hook in her direction. The two pokemon were equally matched, and the sheer speed and power of their attacks were astonishing. In fact, they were renowned as two of the strongest fight types in the region. By the time the fight was over, both participants were facing each other, panting tiredly... before smiling and bowing to each other.

"Another wonderful match, dear! You really caught me off guard with that kick..."

The Blaziken smiled. "Oh, stop. You're too good to not realize that was coming—you just tanked it as usual, you big lummox!"

David and Maria Fireheart laughed heartily before embracing each other. Sparring matches were a daily occurrence for the couple; in spite of their abuse by humans, pokemon were in many respects, natural warriors—and out of all the many types of pokemon in the world, none were more so than Fire and Fight types. By all accounts, the two were a happy pair, save for one thing: the lack of a child. Despite their attempts to produce offspring, Maria remained infertile. This saddened them both... until they learned of the adoption plan. The concept was simple: by adopting and raising human children, pokemon could ensure that those children grew up outside the corruptive influence of human society, and learn to live among pokemon as equals—thus ensuring the future survival and prosperity of both humans and pokemon alike.

Not all pokemon were pleased with this idea—there were understandably those who still had anger towards humanity for the crimes committed against them, and saw little difference between the brutal human government and the human children who grew up in its shadow. But not the Firehearts. On the contrary, they had already submitted a request for adoption, and were awaiting a response—which, incidentally, came in the form of the ringing of their phone. Maria eagerly answered it.

"Hello? Yes, this is she... You have? When will we meet him?... Really? Thank you! We'll be right there!"

David watched as his wife embraced him once more, joy in her voice.

"We have a son! They want us to meet the boy this afternoon!"

"A child... Thank Arceus! I can't wait to meet him!"

* * *

"Please, come in and sit. The boy will be in shortly."

The Chancey gestured to a couple of chairs in front of her desk. Maria smiled.

"Once again, Nora, we can't thank you enough for this opportunity. What can you tell us about the child?"

Nora looked back with a sorrowful expression. "I'm afraid that the young one does not have a very happy story. The humans who gave birth to him abused him terribly... we found him hiding in a closet, abandoned and underfed. He seems to have trust issues, and you may have difficulty reaching him; in addition, the abuse he suffered has negatively affected his self-esteem. But your reputation for honor and kindness may be just what he needs, and if you can build up his confidence, I have no doubt the boy will heal in time."

The Firehearts frowned sympathetically at the story. They had fought in the uprising, and seen firsthand the kind of evil some humans were capable of, but the idea of ANYONE—pokemon or otherwise—harming their own children in such a disgusting manner both horrified and angered them. The couple sat in silence for a few moments, taking it all in. Then, finally, David spoke up, his voice filled with conviction.

"We understand, and we'll do our best to help the boy in any way we can. Rest assured, he will be safe with us."

The chancey smiled in response. "I'm glad to hear it. Ah, here he comes now..."

An Espeon led the child into the room; his dark brown hair was short and messy, his hazel eyes looking nervously at his feet. Nora patted his head and spoke in her usual gentle tone.

"Cole, I'd like you to meet David and Maria Fireheart! They'll be taking care of you from now on."

The small human boy gazed up at the Emboar, but said nothing.

"Hello, Cole. We're your new parents!"

The child in question remained silent, staring David right in the eye with a suspicious expression. In response, Maria reached out to give the boy a hug. Cole attempted to pull back, but found himself enveloped in the Blaziken's arms as she spoke to him in a soothing voice.

"Don't be afraid, Cole. We won't hurt you. No one will hurt you ever again. You're safe now..."

To his own surprise, Cole didn't even try to tear himself away from the hug. He didn't know why—this was a kind of closeness that he had never experienced before, and though it definitely felt good, it also confused him. Everything he had experienced told him that this was too good to be true; after all, who would want to adopt him when his own mother and father had rejected and abandoned him? Cole didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, but that didn't mean he had to accept this new life. And if it came down to it, he could always try to run away.

Little did he know that eventually, running away would be the last thing on his mind.

* * *

 _ **Yes, this fic will have feels in it. Expect lots of "aww" moments as little Cole is slowly healed by his new family.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **_For those of you wondering about the status of Nowhere Fast, don't worry, it's not dead. I'm taking a brief break from it to recharge the creative batteries on it._**

 _ **I do not own Pokemon.**_

* * *

"Well, here we are: your new home!"

Cole gave his surroundings a quick look over. The home had previously been a small cave in the side of a cliff, but it had been refurbished in the early days of the revolution by the Firehearts themselves; a carved wooden door had been installed at the entrance, and the floors, walls and ceilings had been smoothed out and polished. Rugs, couches, chairs, pictures, a radio and a telephone taken from human homes decorated the area, while burning iron braziers hung from the ceiling and protruded from the walls, giving the area a bright glow. The living room and entrance area were open to the kitchen/dining room, where a natural spring had been converted into a sink and faucet, with a stolen refrigerator on one side and a firepit-style oven carved into the rock wall on the other. The bedrooms were on the far wall, with one door leading to a training area off to the side. The bedrooms, like the living room, had human furniture; in the training room, tatami mats had been laid down, and carved into the walls was a burning firepit that ringed the entire room. All in all, the home was surprisingly cozy-looking, and bore almost no trace of its former status as a cave aside from the stone floors, walls, and ceilings.

Even with all this, though, Cole still felt suspicious of the whole thing. He said nothing to his new parents, a frown covering his face. David and Maria both noticed this, giving each other worried looks before turning to him. Maria spoke to her adopted son in a soothing voice.

"It's alright, Cole. I know this must be strange to you, but please trust us. We only want to help you, so just relax and give us a chance, okay?"

The boy nodded slightly, then looked down at his feet. He still didn't trust them. But for the moment, he was stuck with them, and he could always figure out a way to escape later. David patted him on the head in approval—Cole flinched a bit at the touch, but half of him almost enjoyed it.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starved! Why don't we celebrate over dinner?"

Maria smiled. "Sounds like a great idea to me! How about it, Cole? Do you like curry?"

He looked a bit confused. He'd never had much aside from bread and milk. But he had to admit, food sounded good, and he was curious as to how curry tasted, whatever it was.

As it turned out, he actually found himself liking the meal. The curry had an Oran berry sauce that gave a sweet citrus flavor to it. It was spicy, but he had eaten so little in his life that he didn't care so long as he felt full, and the warmth definitely felt amazing to him. The cold glass of milk was equally satisfying. Both David and Maria helped with the cooking, but the recipe was all hers, and she seemed quite happy that Cole enjoyed it.

"Wow, you went through that pretty fast. I'm guessing you liked it?"

"Of course he liked it. It's impossible not to like that recipe! Best curry in the world!"

At that point, Cole almost frowned again. Sure, it all felt good, and they seemed sincere, but there was no way this could be happening to him. Before he could react any further, he let out a yawn as the food coma started to kick in.

"Well, look like someone's tired. I think it's time for bed, huh?"

David stretched and yawned as well. "It IS getting late. I might need to hit the sack myself. C'mon, my boy, let's get you tucked in."

David picked him up and carried him to his new bedroom, putting him in bed and covering him with the blanket. Cole would normally have resisted, but at this point he was too tired to protest, and the bed too soft. His new parents stood over him, smiling warmly. Maria leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Cole. I know you'll feel right at home soon enough."

* * *

He woke up in the middle of the night with a start, looking around in brief panic before remembering where he was. Cole frowned. This wasn't good; he was falling for this. And like his new "mother" said, if he stayed much longer he might start thinking this was home.

He was NOT going to let them win. Quietly, he left his bed and looked for some clothes; he couldn't find the outfit he came in with, but instead found a chimchar-themed outfit in his size. Apparently the couple had prepared it in anticipation of their new child. He didn't have any other choice, so he begrudgingly put it on and snuck out the front door into the night.

Cole managed to avoid being seen or heard as he got further and further from his new home; he didn't know where he was going, only that he wanted to get away. Not three minutes after he left, though, it started raining; he briefly considered going back, but shook away that thought and put the hood on his outfit up as he ran. Several hours later, he was curled up under a bridge, shivering from the cold and waiting for the rain to stop when he heard a scream. Startled, he looked around before realizing it came from the bridge above him. Something about the scream seemed familiar, and despite his fear he climbed up the embankment to get a look. To his shock, he saw the chancey nurse from before surrounded by a small group of pokemon who were attacking her.

The gang was made up of three houndour, a machoke, two mankeys and a zoroark. The latter was kicking the chancey as she lay helpless on the ground, a cruel grimace on its face.

"Stupid human-lover! You think you can shelter the enemy and get away with it?"

"Please... let me go..."

"SHUT UP!"

The zoroark kicked her again; the rest of the gang was laughing evilly. With every subsequent kick, Cole flinched reflexively. Why couldn't he run? He felt as if his feet were glued in place. He couldn't turn away, either, and simply watched in horror. Suddenly, before his eyes, the zoroark and its gang were replaced with copies of his parents as memories of his own abuse came back to him.

" _Stupid boy! You should never have been born!"_

" _You're worthless and weak, brat!"_

" _Shut up! Stop crying or you'll get it again!"_

He clenched his fists.

" _Stupid boy..."_

He gritted his teeth.

" _Worthless... weak..."_

He couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted it all to stop. Unable to control himself, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"STOP IT! STOP HURTING HER!"

All present, the chancey included, whipped around to look in his direction. After a few seconds, the chancey recognized him and shouted. "Run, child! Get away while you can—"

The zoroark kicked her again before turning his rage toward Cole. "Is that one of your _precious_ humans? Well, you can just sit there and watch while we kill it! GET HIM!"

Cole ran as fast as his feet could carry him, the rain soaking him thoroughly as he ran. The gang chased after him, yelling and snarling in rage. Charging through an alleyway, he ran right into the zoroark, who had gone around the other way to trap him as the rest of the gang came up behind.

"Going somewhere, brat?"

A backhand knocked him into a wall. Cole groaned in pain, looking up from where he lay at his attacker as the zoroark raised a claw over its head, preparing to slash.

"Say goodbye, human!"

Suddenly, a red blur came out of nowhere and smashed into the zoroark, sending it flying. Before the others could react, a massive shape came from behind them, sending a huge fist crashing into them with the force of a wrecking ball. The zoroark struggled to get up from where it landed, but a taloned foot smashed into its back, causing it to yelp from the blow.

"GET AWAY FROM OUR SON!"

Cole looked up in shock to see David and Maria Fireheart standing in front of him, facing the violent pokemon with rage in their eyes. He could hardly believe his eyes; it was still raining, the pair was soaked, and yet in spite of the gang outnumbering them and their type weakness to water the two were still absolutely dominating the gang.

The machoke charged at Maria, only for her to dodge effortlessly and respond with a roundhouse kick to the side of its head, knocking it clean off its feet. The three houndour leapt at David, but he smashed all three aside with his fists. The mankeys teamed up and tried to tackle Maria from behind, only to sail over her head as she ducked out of the way and get struck by her powerful kicks. The gang quickly scrambled to their feet and ran like their lives depended on it. With their opponents gone, David and Maria knelt in front of Cole before embracing him.

"Thank Arceus! We've been looking all over for you! Did they hurt you, honey?"

Cole looked at them, wide-eyed. "Y-you came for me?"

"Of course we did! We were worried sick!"

"We've been looking for hours. Oh, my poor baby, I'm so glad you're safe!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They had been out in the _rain_ for _hours_? Looking for _him_?

"B-but... the rain... you're fire types... didn't it hurt?"

Maria shook her head. "Listen to me, Cole. There is nothing—NOTHING in this world—that would stop us from saving you. Not rain, not cold, not all the pokemon in the world."

"We told you we wouldn't let anyone hurt you ever again, remember? We meant every word of that, and we never go back on a promise."

Cole was dumbstruck. They went this far out of their way just to save him, just to make sure he was safe. He couldn't understand it; no one had EVER shown him this kind of love before. Unable to control himself, he began crying. He didn't know why, but the tears kept coming and wouldn't stop, and soon he was bawling his eyes out as his parents hugged him tightly.

"Shh, it's okay, baby. It's all okay. Everything will be fine now. We're here and you're safe..."

By the time they got back to the house, Cole had stopped crying, but was still whimpering a bit. After drying off, they wrapped him up in a thick blanket and sat down in front of the fireplace on either side of him, pressing themselves against him protectively. Cole was still reeling from what had happened, and looked up at David and Maria. The fear and suspicion he had felt upon first meeting them was starting to give way to other feelings, feelings he had never experienced before. He struggled to think of a way to describe it, and then it hit him.

This was love. This was family. This was warmth and safety.

This was home.

* * *

The next morning, Cole found himself back in bed, tucked under the blankets with care. He got out of bed, looking for David and Maria. The pair sat at the dining table eating breakfast, turning to him with smiles on their faces.

"Good morning, honey! Are you feeling better?"

Cole nodded nervously. He still had a question nagging at him. "How did you do that?"

David raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"You beat up those bad people last night even in the rain. Aren't fire types supposed to be weak to water?"

"Yes, but we're also fighting types, and that makes us a lot tougher than just your ordinary fire type. Besides, like your mother said, a little rain wouldn't stop us from protecting you."

Cole looked away nervously. Maria spoke up, worry in her voice. "What's wrong? Don't worry, you can tell us anything."

"It's just... you're so strong, and I'm so weak..."

"Who told you that?"

"My mommy and daddy—"

"Cole."

David looked him right in the eye, his voice calm but firm. "Don't you ever say that about yourself. The humans who gave birth to you? They are NOT your parents. And THEY are the weak ones."

Cole looked up at the emboar, confusion on his face. "What do you mean?"

"People who hurt those who can't fight back aren't strong, they're weak. But you're stronger than you think you are. Remember Nora, the nice chancey who took care of you at the hospital? She called and told us what you did for her. You must have been so scared, you were wet and cold, and you were a child all alone, but you still told them to stop, even knowing they would come after you. You saw that what they were doing was wrong, and you didn't want them to keep doing it because you knew what it was like. That there? That was strength. You stood up for someone when no one else was around, at risk to yourself; there are many who wouldn't do that, were they in your place."

He let this sink in a few moments before speaking again, this time with absolute certainty in his voice, as if he was stating a simple fact. "You are NOT weak. You are stronger than you know. So don't ever call yourself weak, and don't ever let anyone call you that."

A long pause. Cole thought hard about this; he didn't know why, but something about what he just heard stirred something in him that he couldn't describe.

"Could you... could you teach me?"

Maria smiled at him. "Of course, Cole. We'd be happy to."

For the first time in his life, he smiled and said the words he never thought he would ever say:

"Mommy, daddy... thank you."

* * *

 _ **I swear, honest to goodness, I genuinely smiled as I wrote the fireplace scene and that last line. As for that fight scene, rest assured that the rest of the fic will be 90% slice-of-life (I'm leaving that last ten percent just in case I think it needs it, but probably not). Leave a review if you can!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** **_Sorry about the short chapter, but it couldn't be helped. By the way, if you're enjoying this, check out my other fics and review them if you get the chance—reviews not only motivate me, they help me improve!_**

* * *

Cole stood in the training room, wearing a pancham-themed outfit with bare feet and facing his adoptive father, his adoptive mother looking on from the sidelines.

"First things first. Let me see your punch; make a fist and give me a good one right in the gut!"

The six-year-old human hesitated. He had been on the receiving end of physical abuse, and he knew he didn't like it. Why would someone WANT to get hit? He certainly didn't want to hurt anyone. David saw his expression, then smiled at him and spoke in as encouraging a tone of voice as he could muster.

"It's alright, my boy. You won't hurt me, and you're not trying to hurt me. I just want to see how strong you are. Don't be afraid..."

The calming tone and soothing words took their intended effect, and Cole mustered up as much courage as he could, making a fist and throwing it at the emboar's stomach. Predictably, it bounced right off with no effect. Cole frowned a bit, but this was quickly replaced by a small grin as David laughed and patted him on the head.

"Well, looks like you got a good amount of muscle for your age, my boy! That was a good one!"

Cole smiled up at his new father before a thoughtful frown covered his face again. He still wasn't sure about this. Maria spoke to him next.

"What's wrong, baby? Go on, you can tell us."

Cole looked at his fist, then released it, speaking quietly. "I don't... I don't know if I can do this... I don't want to hurt anyone..."

The Blaziken walked over to him and knelt down to look him in the eyes. "Fighting isn't just for hurting people; that's not why we do it. The kind of people who use it for that are not good people. Do you know why we do it?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "Why?"

She smiled at him warmly. "Remember this, Cole. There are only three reasons to fight: one is to protect others, two is to understand others, and three is to improve others and yourself. There is no fourth reason."

Cole still didn't quite understand, so David decided to elaborate.

"Think about it this way. Remember last night, when we fought off those bad pokemon who were trying to hurt you? That was reason one. We weren't going to just stand by and let them hurt you, so we stopped them before they could. That's how you fight to protect others."

Maria continued with the explanation. "Two is a little more complicated. When you get into a fight, whether it's for a friendly match or to protect someone, your opponent has different reasons for fighting, and those reasons come out in how they fight. If you pay attention, you can see what kind of person they are in how they fight, and if you can do that, once the fight is over you might even be able to make a friend out of them. Our enemies that night showed that they were weak in how they fought; they chased down and tried to hurt those weaker than them, and the moment they found themselves fighting someone who could fight back, they ran. They wouldn't have listened to anything we said. But sometimes, someone else might be fighting you not because they really want to hurt you, but because they're hurting themselves; in that case, you can find out how and why they're hurting, and once it's over you can use what you learned to help make them better."

Cole nodded; this was still a bit complicated, but he was starting to get the picture. "What about the third reason?"

Both Firehearts smiled; David spoke up next, looking at his wife. "Well, that's where this room comes in. Your mother and I spar here at least twice a day, and in the process, we train one another and keep each other in shape. We challenge each other physically and mentally, and in the process, both of us get stronger and better because of it."

He then turned to look at Cole. "But even the people on the sidelines can benefit from this, if the fight is honest. If you fight with honor, you can encourage those who watch you to do so as well; for example, you saw us fighting to protect you last night, and you want to learn how to be able to do that yourself, not because you want to fight or hurt anyone, but so you won't have to feel weak anymore, so you won't have to be afraid, so you won't have to stand by and watch while other people get hurt. That is the purpose of being strong, the real purpose of fighting: to teach other people how to be strong themselves."

Maria looked him in the eye again, the same motherly smile on her face. "You don't have to learn if you don't want to, honey. We'll always love you and protect you, no matter what."

The boy considered this for a few moments before seeing the encouraging smiles on his parent's faces. He smiled and nodded. Cole still didn't entirely understand, but he wanted to at least try. David smiled in approval once more.

"Okay, then, let's see that punch of yours again!"

Cole had to admit, he enjoyed the session; it wasn't anything difficult, and they didn't make him sweat or anything, but their lessons, their kind words and their warm smiles all made him feel good. After a few minutes, though, Cole found his stomach growling. Evidently, his new parents heard it.

"Well, sounds like someone's hungry!" David started to laugh when his own stomach growled as well.

Maria chuckled at her husband in response. "It seems we could all use a bit of food... Oh! I have an idea!"

She turned to look at Cole. "Why don't we all go out for lunch today? There's a great place to eat nearby! Would you like to try it out?"

Cole grinned eagerly. He'd never had much to eat before, and he had definitely not been outside his old house that often, let alone gone out to eat!

"I guess it's settled then. Come on, my boy, I'll even give you a bit of a ride!" David knelt down with his back to Cole, who happily climbed on to the emboar's shoulders, giddy with anticipation.

* * *

The weather outside was sunny and bright, with a blue sky, fluffy clouds, and the dazzlingly brilliant green of trees and grass in the summer. Even so, despite his initial excitement and the thrill of seeing the world from his new father's shoulders, Cole found himself nervous once they arrived at the restaurant. He'd never been around this many people before, let alone a place so full of pokemon! A bellossom approached, a tray in her hands.

"Oh! Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Fireheart! Would you like a menu, or should I just set you up with the usual?"

Maria shook her head. "Please, Shirley, call us by our first names. As for the food, I think we'll want a menu this time; after all, we have a new mouth to feed, and he's never been here before!"

Shirley looked at the small human child, who was shyly hiding his face behind David's head. She smiled at him, a slight chuckle escaping her lips. "Ah, I heard you'd adopted a human. He's adorable! What's his name?"

David smiled and turned his head to the boy. "Shirley Bloom, meet Cole Fireheart! Don't be shy, my boy, say hello to the nice lady!"

He carefully looked up at the bellossom, his voice quiet and nervous. "H-hello..."

His initial fear started to vanish as she smiled back at him. "It's very nice to meet you, Cole! Don't be afraid of little old me, your mommy and daddy and I go way back. Let's get you guys a seat, shall we?"

The family sat down at a table outside the restaurant, and began looking at the menu. Cole looked over it in utter confusion before speaking quietly in an embarrassed tone.

"Mommy, daddy, could you choose something for me?"

Maria looked at him. "Why, can you not decide?"

"I can't read..."

The couple frowned sympathetically; the poor child hadn't even been taught how to read at this point in life. Scooting her chair over next to him, Maria pointed to an item on the menu. "Okay, see that word there? That spells 'curry'. Remember that food we made for you last night? That's the word right there!"

Cole nodded and smiled at the memory of his first real meal. "Show me another one, mommy!"

"Of course, honey. Now this one means 'sweet', this one 'spicy'..."

The food was quite delicious, and Shirley was just as nice and friendly as David and Maria. On the way home, the family stopped by a store and purchased a few children's books, where several other pokemon met him for the first time. Evidently the Firehearts were well-known and well-liked in the town, and the people they knew were friendly and warm. Cole was still terribly shy and didn't speak up often, and found himself burying his face in the back of David's head more often than not. Even so, he enjoyed the nice words and friendly greetings.

Upon getting home, David gently set Cole down on the couch in front of the fireplace, after which both he and Maria sat on either side of him and began to read to him, helping him to recognize various words and letters as they went. With every successfully repeated sentence, they complimented him, eliciting a smile from his face. He liked this feeling; he had almost never smiled in his life before being adopted by David and Maria, and yet he found himself smiling practically every time they spoke to him. They were even teaching him how to read—something he never would have thought would happen. All in all, he was starting to feel right at home here.

A few hours later, he found himself struggling to stay awake, and allowed his parents to hold his hand as he walked to his bedroom. They tucked him in, but before they could turn the light out, Cole spoke up.

"Mommy, Daddy, could you read to me some more tomorrow?"

Maria answered in a sincere tone. "Of course, honey. We'd be happy to."

"Well, my boy, I'm glad to see you so eager to learn. Now do us a favor and get yourself some shut-eye. Tomorrow's another big day, kiddo!"

The two left the room, turning the lamp off and closing the door, leaving Cole alone with his thoughts. Last night, he was all set to run, but all of a sudden, he found himself never wanting to leave. As he drifted off, his last thoughts were how he couldn't wait for morning.

* * *

 _ **Once again, writing this chapter put a huge smile on my face. I've never really written "cute" before, but as it turns out it's pretty therapeutic. I hope it warms your heart as much as it does mine. Please leave a review if you can!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **_After this chapter will be a slight time skip, the first of a few; that said, don't think the "aww" moments will stop as the years gradually roll by over the course of this fic. There will be plenty of those to go around, I assure you. :)_**

* * *

The next day began not unlike the one before; after a warm breakfast, Cole and his parents went into the training room for practice, during which he learned a great deal about his new mother and father. The sessions were simple and effortless, but brought with them lessons on discipline and honor that the Firehearts held dear. But for Cole himself, the best thing about them were the smiles and praise when he did something right, the kind reassurances when he got something wrong, and the encouraging words when he tried again in hopes of succeeding. Even so, the young human was still quite wary of the world outside his new home, despite how nice the pokemon he had met the previous day were to him.

Evidently, Maria and David noticed this, and decided on a course of action. As their son excitedly mimicked their movements on the mat, the latter looked to him with a smile.

"My boy, you're looking stronger by the day! In fact, I think this calls for a bit of a celebration, don't you?"

Cole smiled expectantly, wondering what his father had in store for him next. Seeing that expression, David continued.

"Well, since yesterday went so well, why don't we go out somewhere today, too? There's a playground not too far from where we ate yesterday! What do you say?"

The child frowned slightly. He felt much safer here than out there. Maria noticed the reaction and knelt down to his level, looking him in the eye.

"It's alright, Cole. I know it can be scary outside, but you didn't mind Ms. Bloom or the other people we met yesterday, did you? Besides, we won't be far away."

Cole paused for a moment to consider that. "I-is this a test or something?"

David laughed heartily before patting him on the head. "No, my boy, not unless you want it to be! And if it is, just remember: you're a Fireheart now, and a Fireheart doesn't let something like a test or a challenge stop them!"

That last sentence struck him deep inside; it repeated a few times in his head, each repetition carrying new meaning.

He was a Fireheart?

He was a Fireheart...

He was...!

"Uh-huh! I'm a Fireheart!"

The proud grin on Cole's face as he proclaimed that lifted his parents' spirits. Things were looking up for their new child!

* * *

The weather outside was as bright and beautiful as it had been the day before, and the playground was colorful to match. To Cole's surprise, he was not the only child there, but he WAS the only human child as far as he could tell. He found his nervousness returning briefly, looking up at his parents for comfort and reassurance.

"Mommy, Daddy—"

"It's okay, baby, we'll be right here. Look, don't those bars look like fun?"

Maria pointed to a jungle gym where a pichu leapt from rung to rung, happily chasing an aipom as the latter swung from the bars. He had to admit, they were smiling, and smiling was good, right? Whatever doubts he still had vanished with his mother's next encouragement.

"Hey, I bet you can climb all the way to the top of that thing if you tried! You're a Fireheart, remember?"

He practically bounced up and down at that, repeating after her with proud glee as he ran toward the bars. "I'm a Fireheart! I'm a Fireheart!"

As Cole approached the jungle gym, the size of the obstacle became suddenly intimidating. But he was a Fireheart, and his mommy and daddy wouldn't be afraid of that, so he wasn't going to be afraid of it! He cautiously put one hand on a bar, then the opposite foot, gradually lifting himself off the ground. He had done it! The first rung off the ground! Now all that was left was to keep going until he reached the top. He was a Fireheart, he could do it!

"Hey, what are you?"

He looked over to see the aipom and the pichu staring at him curiously. The former was the one who had spoken.

"W-what do you mean?"

"What kind of pokemon are you? I've never seen one like you before..."

"That's 'cuz he's not a pokemon, he's a... what did mommy call them? Hu-mon? Anyways, mommy said hu-mons are scary and we shouldn't play with them."

Cole froze at the pichu's words. He didn't know why they hurt, but they did. He decided to respond in the only way he knew how. He climbed, saying his mantra again. This time, though, he said it with slightly less certainty in his tone.

"I'm a Fireheart..."

Three rungs from the top.

"I'm a Fireheart..."

Two rungs.

"I'm a Fireheart..."

One more to go.

"I'm a—"

"Toby, get away from that thing! What did I tell you about humans?"

Cole's hand slipped. He found himself falling to the ground, landing squarely on his bottom. Looking up from where he had landed, he saw a raichu hurriedly gathering up the pichu and rushing away, the aipom looking down with a puzzled expression. Cole felt tears coming on. He'd tried and failed.

"Hey, why are you crying? _My_ mommy didn't say I couldn't play with hu-mons, and 'sides, you don't look like a hu-mon anyway! You kinda look like a chimchar to me with that orange coloring! You got really high up, and chimchars are good at climbing, so you must be one, right?"

The tears stopped for a moment as he looked down, remembering the outfit he had on; it was patterned after a chimchar. It was the outfit he wore that night when he tried to run away, the night his parents rescued him from death. He had woken up in a dry version of that outfit the next morning, when David said... when his daddy had said...

" _You are NOT weak. You are stronger than you know."_

The aipom leapt down from her perch, landing right in front of him and smiling widely. "Hey, wanna race me to the top?"

Cole blinked a few times to remove the tears, then got back to his feet, ready to try again. He briefly looked back to where his parents were; they were standing much closer than they had been, and based on their concerned expressions, it was the fall that had brought them to their feet to try and help him. Just two days before, he would have been surprised at that. Not this time. Turning back to the aipom, he smiled and began climbing.

"Yeah, a race!"

"Yippee!"

* * *

That evening, Cole found himself in his favorite place: sitting on the couch, flanked closely by his parents as they taught him to read. After they finished the book, he looked down at his hands, then back up at his parents.

"Mommy, daddy?"

"What is it, my boy?"

"Am I still a human?"

They looked at each other before returning their gaze to him. Maria spoke first.

"What do you mean, honey?"

"The pichu, he said humans were scary. I don't wanna be scary."

David looked down at him, a serious but calm expression on his face. "You're a Fireheart."

"But is a Fireheart a human, or a pokemon?"

"It's whatever you decide, my boy. If you want to think of yourself as one, or the other, or both, that's up to you. But whatever you choose, you'll still be our son. Whichever you choose, you'll always be a Fireheart."

Cole thought long and hard about that. What did he want to be? He thought long and hard. The pichu didn't like humans; Cole knew he was born one, but he didn't think he liked them either, because his—the ones that he was with before, they were mean to him. He knew the Chancey said other human kids had been adopted, and he didn't want to hate them, and he wouldn't if they were nice. But at the same time, he didn't like what being human felt like. That brought his thoughts to the aipom. The aipom wasn't scared of him; in fact, she thought he was a chimchar.

Chimchar were fire and fight types.

Mommy was a fire and fight type.

Daddy was a fire and fight type.

Mommy and Daddy were Firehearts.

Cole was a Fireheart.

Cole was a Fireheart...

He looked at his hands one last time, then looked up at his parents. He had his answer.

"I wanna be a chimchar!"

They laughed heartily, David patting him on the head as his mother hugged him.

"I guess you like that outfit, huh, baby? Well, then, we'll buy some more next time we're out. Whatever you want to see yourself as, that's what you are!"

Cole continued to smile at his parents. He knew what he looked like, he knew what he was born as, but now he was a Fireheart, and he got to decide what that was. And from now on, he wasn't going to listen to anyone who told him otherwise.

* * *

 _ **Sorry about the short chapter, but I felt this was a good spot to end it. Leave a review if you have the time!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** **_First time skip! Don't worry, I won't jump over huge chunks of time like I did in Nowhere Fast. You'll get to watch Cole gradually grow and learn over a long period of time, so you'll have plenty more time to see him as an adorable child before he becomes an equally adorkable (no, that's not a typo. Look it up on TVTropes) preteen. For now, enjoy!_**

* * *

Cole giggled happily as he ran ahead of his parents toward the playground. It had been a full year since his adoption, and while new people still unnerved him—grown-ups more than children, though—he had mostly gotten over his reluctance to go outside. Especially if it meant coming to this playground, where he had met his first-ever friend, and where he gradually met a couple of other pokemon children. He wore his now-signature chimchar-themed outfit, and smiled at the sensation of the grass under his bare feet. Upon reaching the soft rubber area upon which the playground was built, he practically bounced in place in excitement. Maria smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Well, you're a bundle of energy today, aren't you, honey?"

He grinned up at her. "Uh-huh! Nuna said she'd race me again today, and I'm gonna win!"

David barked out a laugh, patting him on the head. "That's the spirit, my boy! Get to it; show Nuna you've been practicing!"

With a nod and a smile, Cole ran toward the aipom in question, who awaited him at the jungle gym.

"Hi, Cole! Ready to race?"

"Uh-huh! Mommy's been teachin' me how to run real fast and jump good!"

Cole ran in place as he spoke, pride in his voice. Nuna smiled back.

"Wow, you're so lucky your mommy teaches you that! My mommy's too busy doin' stuff today, and daddy's not near as good as she is. Still not gonna lose that easy! Ready?"

Cole nodded, returning the smile. "Set!"

The two crouched low, then leapt forward and shouted in unison.

"GO!"

Their laughter filled the air as they ran all across the playground, leaping over see-saws, crawling through tunnels, and sprinting through the sandbox before reaching the jungle gym again, at which point the final leg of their race began. The two climbed as quickly as they could, Cole just barely beating his friend to the top.

"Wow, Cole, your mommy DID teach you some cool stuff!"

"Yup! She's the best ever!"

The pair giggled before leaping off the jungle gym and landing on their feet with ease. Cole looked back to his parents, feeling pride swelling in his chest as he saw them clapping in approval. He turned back to the aipom.

"So, whatcha wanna do next?"

"Hey, Noony, why don't you and the human go away and let us have the bars!"

He looked up at a few new faces; a meowth, a snubbull, and a pichu. The second of the three was the offending speaker, his two companions sneering at Cole. Nuna pouted angrily.

"Go away, Patrick! Cole an' me were here first!"

"Yeah, and now _we're_ here! Hey, human, get lost!"

He shrunk slightly at the insult and said nothing in response, but didn't make any attempt to run. He was definitely frightened, and these guys were scary, but he was a Fireheart, and a Fireheart doesn't run from a challenge! His friend stood up for him once more.

"He's not bothering you, meanie-head! YOU leave!"

Patrick frowned, stomping over to Nuna and glaring down at her. "Or what? You gonna make us? He's just a human, and you're just a stupid aipom!"

That was it. In spite of his fear, Cole snapped back. "She's not stupid, and I'm not a human! I'm Cole Fireheart!"

The meowth and the pichu reacted with a slight mix of fear and awe at the last name. "Fireheart? Like the Firehearts who're supposed to be really, really strong?"

The mean snubbull snorted derisively. "Yeah, right! As if they'd let a human—"

Patrick didn't get to finish the sentence; in a flash, Cole had leapt right in front of his face so quickly that the startled bully tripped and fell backward with a loud yelp. Nuna crouched next to Cole and spoke angrily.

"He's more pokemon than you, stupid! He doesn't go around yelling at people like you do, and 'sides, his mommy and daddy are right over there, and they won't like you bein' mean to him!"

The bullies took the hint and ran off. Once they were out of sight, Nuna turned to Cole, smiling. "That was so cool, how you moved real fast just then! Why didn't you do that when we were racing?"

Cole frowned, a look of confusion on his face. He didn't really think about it. It just kind of happened. Hadn't he been giving it his all when they raced? How come he got so much faster just then? After a few moments, his seven-year-old brain decided there were other things to think about and rapidly switched gears.

"I dunno. Thanks for bein' nice to me and making them go away!"

Nuna giggled. "Sure! Oh, look, my mommy's back! See ya later, Cole!"

He waved happily to his best friend as she scrambled over to a smiling ambipom. Turning around, he saw his own parents smiling, a hint of surprise in addition to a good deal of pride. He ran to them and giggled as Maria swept him up in her arms.

"Wow, honey, you were so brave there!"

"Really?"

"Your mother wouldn't say it if it weren't true, my boy. I'm sure Nuna would agree, too! Now, why don't we all go get something to eat?"

Cole looked back at them with a wide open smile on his face, the questions from before completely forgotten in his excitement.

* * *

"Umm... this one!"

Cole pointed to an item on the menu as he showed it to Shirley Bloom. The bellossom waitress smiled back. "Wow, you read that all by yourself? What a smart boy!"

He nodded eagerly, bouncing up and down in his chair. "Yup! Mommy and Daddy used to have to read to me, but now they let me read all the time now!"

"That's good to hear. Now you all just sit tight, I'll be right back with your food!"

The young Fireheart waited with barely-contained glee for his meal to arrive; when it did, he wasted no time, happily stuffing himself with delicious food. Out of all the activities he did, the three he enjoyed most were training, playing, and eating. He had already gained a distinct preference for curry and other spicy foods—not surprising, given the fact that the first real dinner he had ever had was his mother's oran-berry curry.

"So, Cole, did you have fun with Nuna today?"

He gulped down a mouthful of food before responding. "Uh-huh! Why?"

"Well, your father and I have been talking to her parents; they've planning on running a school, and they're willing to let you go to class with her, starting tomorrow! How does that sound?"

Cole tilted his head in confusion. "What's school?"

David stroked his chin with one hand, trying to think of a way to describe it. "Well, my boy, it's something the humans used to do before the Teams took over. Kids would go there and learn important things together every day or so, and their parents would pick them up afterwards. Since the revolution, though, plenty of pokemon have realized just how good a thing it is to help their own children learn. You'd get to play with Nuna every day, you'd get to learn how to read even more, and you might even make new friends there!"

The part about the revolution went over his head, but the rest was straightforward enough. One thing still frightened him, though.

"So you'd take me somewhere and leave me there the whole day?"

Maria placed a talon on his arm in a calming gesture. "I know it sounds scary, but you won't be alone. We'll be there every single day after school to take you home, and if anything goes wrong, Nuna's parents will call us, and we'll come right over."

"Your mother and I just want to help you, remember? Do us a favor and give it a try for a couple of days. Just think of it as another challenge, and I know you'll do well!"

Cole still wasn't sure about this; why couldn't they just teach him at home like they always did? But playing with Nuna every day did sound fun.

"O-okay, I'll try..."

His nerves were slightly calmed by the warm praise he received for his decision.

* * *

The next day found Cole sitting cross-legged on the floor of what was previously a gym, gulping nervously as Nuna's mother got ready. Nuna herself was sitting next to him, which helped matters, but the room was also filled with pokemon children that he didn't know. In addition to that, he was still scared at the thought of his parents going away and leaving him somewhere he couldn't see them, but he'd agreed to it, and he didn't want to let them down.

After a few moments, class began; mostly it involved children's books about counting and letters, but there were lessons tailor-made for pokemon as well—mostly restricted to the basics of how to learn moves, and how to use them. Cole felt inadequate at these points. He hated being called one, but deep down he knew he was a human, and humans couldn't use pokemon moves... right? He paid as much attention as possible, trying to wrap his head around the topic, when he heard Nuna gasp in surprise.

"Cole, look, your hands!"

He followed her gaze to see his hands wreathed in flame. That was unusual.

"Ah! Help!"

Cole waved his hands rapidly, desperate to put out the fire before realizing something else: it didn't burn. In fact, it felt kind of nice. That said, he still didn't know how to turn it off...

"Well, it looks like someone just learned fire punch! Now, can anyone tell us how to turn it off?"

To his befuddlement, Nuna's mother wasn't surprised at what he had just done. Was she just not aware of all the differences between humans and pokemon, or was this always possible? Even Nuna herself seemed a little more impressed at how fast he learned a move than the fact that he did so at all. The question was eventually answered by another student, and Cole tried it out; to his amazement, the flames obeyed and vanished before his eyes. What did this all mean?

At the end of the day, as promised, his parents were waiting for him outside the school. He ran to them desperately, practically tackling them both out of excitement and relief.

"Hey, it's okay, baby, we told you we'd be here, didn't we? How was it?"

"Um... Nuna's mommy taught us numbers and reading and stuff like that, but then she started talkin' about pokemon moves, and all of a sudden my hand's on fire, but it didn't burn, an' she said it was cuz' I learned Fire Punch."

Both of his parents' eyes widened in amazement and pride, but David in particular was ecstatic. "Ha ha ha! My boy's got one of my moves? I knew he'd taken after me!"

"Oh, don't let it go to your head, dear—I'm sure he'll be showing off a double kick or two in no time like me! Isn't that right, honey?"

The praise once again drove his concerns away; explanations for what happened could wait for another day. Right now, the fact that he had made his parents proud of him was his whole world, and nothing else mattered but their smiles and kind words.

* * *

 _ **I have a bit of headcanon about how OCs in the New Perspective 'verse are able to use pokemon moves, but as the end of this chapter said, that's not the point of this fic. I might give some slight explanation in a later chapter, but for the most part I'm saving the full explanation for another potential fic. Also, if any NP-ers want to let Cole meet their own OC, either at the playground or at the school, PM me with the details and I'll see what I can do. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **_Another "aww" chapter. I love writing these—whenever I feel stressed, making Cole smile makes me smile._**

* * *

"Yay! I won!"

Nuna hopped up and down in excitement; the class had played a unique form of tag as part of their lessons on pokemon moves, and she had learned quick attack in the process, netting her a tidy victory. Cole wasn't happy about losing, but as Nuna was his best friend, second place to her first wasn't something to sneeze at—especially when he had suddenly learned Flame Charge, which briefly made him a lot faster than normal. Her mother clapped before turning to the rest of the class.

"Okay everyone, good job! Now, time for a snack break; sandwiches and juice are right over here!"

The class eagerly began to eat their snacks, most forming into small groups and chatting. Cole, however, was still nervous about meeting new people, and sat alone in a corner to eat his. At least, that was the plan.

"Hey, Cole, why're you sittin' here all by yourself?"

He looked at Nuna, who was tilting her head at him in confusion. "Um... I dunno..."

"Well, why don't you come an' meet my friends over here? They're nice an' they know lots of fun games an' stuff!"

She smiled at him, which lessened some of his nerves, though not all of them. "A-are you sure?"

"Uh-huh! C'mon, this way!"

With that, he followed her, taking his sandwich and juice with him. Nuna led him to a small group of pokemon including a riolu, a zigzagoon, and a chikorita. Cole approached cautiously, his head slightly lowered in shyness.

"Hey guys, this is the one I was tellin' you about! Cole, meet my friends!"

He waved slightly, his voice still quiet out of nervousness. "H-hi..."

"You're Cole? Cool!" The riolu smiled at him. "I'm Tommy! Nice to meetcha!"

The zigzagoon spoke up next. "My name's Ricky. Nuna told us you were fun to play with!"

"An' I'm Kelly! If Nuna says you're okay, then you're okay with me!"

"See, Cole? I told you they were nice!"

He couldn't deny that they were friendly. His shyness faded somewhat as he sat down between Tommy and Nuna, nibbling on his sandwich as he took in the group. The former looked him up and down for a moment before speaking in a slightly fascinated tone.

"Are you the human the Firehearts adopted?"

"Cole doesn't like bein' called human, Tommy. Humans were mean to him."

"Oh, sorry... anyway, you're dressed like a chimchar. Does that mean you're a fight type like your mommy an' daddy?"

In spite of his initial shyness, the mention of his parents filled him with pride. "Uh-huh! I'm a Fireheart, so I'm gonna be really strong, just like them!"

Tommy grinned widely. "Cool! I'm a fight-type too, so if your mommy an' daddy say it's okay an' mine say it's okay too, then maybe we can fight a bit sometime!"

"Is that all boys ever think about?" Kelly said, rolling her eyes. Tommy pouted at the chikorita in response.

"I'm a fight-type, so that's what we do! Besides, it's fun!"

"Whatever. I think showing off pretty moves is better, an' Mommy says mine are really pretty!"

Ricky chuckled a bit at that. "Of course you like that. Girls like pretty stuff anyway. Me, I like eating."

"You eat way too much. You're gonna get fat!" Nuna shook her head at Ricky, giggling slightly as she did so; the latter stared for a bit before bursting into laughter, which immediately began spreading through the circle of friends. Cole couldn't help but laugh with them. Nuna was right, her friends were really nice!

* * *

Cole ran at full speed toward his parents the moment he saw them waiting for him outside the school, pressing his face into his mother's side as he hugged her; he had already been attending for a few days, but his anxiety at being away from them was still strong.

"Mommy!"

"Hey, sweetie. How was school today? Did you learn anything fun?"

Cole smiled up at her excitedly. "Uh-huh! Nuna's mommy had us help her read a book, an' I knew all the words!"

David patted him on the head in his usual manner. "Good job, my boy! I knew you were a smart kid!"

The praise filled Cole with joy as he continued to tell his parents about his day. "Then we talked 'bout types, an' I learned some cool stuff, then we played a cool kind of tag where we tried using moves, an' Nuna won, but I got second place just behind her 'cuz I learned Flame Charge an' got really fast for a bit!"

"Hm. I told you he'd learn one of mine soon enough," Maria said to her husband before turning back to Cole. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself! Did you make any new friends?"

He nodded, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, Nuna showed me her friends, an' they were real nice to me! One of them's a riolu, an' he said somethin' about how if you an' his mommy an' daddy say it's okay he wants to fight me some time. The others are really funny an' nice too!"

Maria gave her son a warm smile. "Wow, you're already making friends! Maybe we can set up a playdate sometime. Let's go home, I'll make curry!"

* * *

Cole sat up in bed, unable to sleep. Deciding a cup of milk would hit the spot and maybe help him relax, he walked to the door, only to stop as he heard his parents talking about him.

"Do you have it all set up?"

"Yeah, it's ready. Sarah called and said that Nuna will definitely be there, though that's hardly a surprise."

"Heh. Our little Cole certainly has come far, hasn't he? I was worried he'd never come out of his shell..."

"I was worried, too, especially for the first few weeks. But you're right; I don't think I've ever seen him as happy as he was today, talking about his new friends. Maybe they'd be interested in coming?"

"They only met him today. I think it would mean a little more if we gave him time to get to know them before inviting them, don't you?"

"Well, we still have about a week before it happens. Plenty of time to set up a couple of playdates."

"Oh, I can't wait to see his face when it happens! He's never had something like this before..."

Cole wasn't sure what they were talking about, but from the sound of it, he figured it must be something cool. Problem is, now that he was wondering what it was, he knew DEFINITELY wouldn't be able to get to sleep, milk or no.

* * *

The rest of the week went by far too slowly for Cole's taste. Even so, it was one of the best weeks of his life. He was starting to enjoy school, and after a couple of playdates with Nuna and his new friends, he had become comfortable around them as well. Tommy in particular proved to be fun to play with; their respective parents agreed to let them have a short sparring match, and while Tommy came out on top, Cole didn't feel too upset because the former was so friendly about it, even complimenting him on how strong he was.

What really interested him, however, was the surprise his parents were preparing for him. He knew he wasn't supposed to hear that conversation, so he tried his best to pretend he didn't know about it. Even so, it was a struggle just to keep from begging to know the secret, let alone hide his anticipation.

On the last day of school of the week, something was different, which only added to his curiosity: His father waited for him outside the school, but his mother was nowhere to be seen. Was this part of the surprise? David was evasive about Maria's whereabouts as he lifted Cole onto his shoulders and carried him home. As they approached their front door, Cole couldn't help but tense up. What he saw inside was something beyond his imagination.

"SURPRISE!"

Waiting for him in the house were his mother, his friends, and their parents; on the table was a large cake with seven candles on it... as well as his name. David placed Cole on the floor and patted his head.

"Happy Birthday, son!"

Cole was practically frozen in disbelief. He'd heard about birthdays, but he had never actually HAD one before. This was something he never would have expected, even considering how wonderful his parents were to him and how nice his friends were. In spite of himself, he started to tear up. Maria quickly ran over to him in response.

"What's wrong, honey? Are you okay?"

Sniffing slightly, he looked at all the smiling faces in the room, and returned the expression as best he could. "Uh-huh. I'm fine..."

He was wrong: this wasn't one of the best weeks of his life.

It was the best one ever.

* * *

 _ **Sorry for how short this chapter is. If you have any suggestions or criticisms at all, please don't hold back on them—I welcome any and all input from my readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** **_I found out I aced my college Archaeology course! With college over for the semester, I can focus more on my writing (also, I get to see The Protomen perform live in concert soon. If previous experience is any indication, I expect them to launch the roof into orbit from the sheer power of their rock). With that announcement out of the way, enjoy!_**

* * *

Cole still couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the number of presents sitting in front of him. He would have remained frozen in shock for the entire day had his father not given him a gentle pat on the head along with encouraging words.

"Well, what're you waiting for, my boy? It's your birthday! Have a seat on the couch and start opening your presents!"

Grinning widely, Cole ran to the couch and grabbed the first gift, from Tommy. The riolu watched expectantly as Cole opened it, revealing fingerless black boxing gloves with a flame motif on them.

"I figured those would be the perfect gift for a fellow fight-type, and the fire matches your other type! Cool, huh?"

Cole immediately put the gloves on, nodding in agreement as he did. "Uh-huh! Hey, let's try them out later!"

"Okay, this next one is from Nuna. She picked it out all by herself, isn't that right?"

"Yup! Mommy took me to the store an' I saw it an' thought of you!"

The gift turned out to be a firestone. It glowed softly as Cole held it in his hands, feeling a strangely comforting warmth from deep within the flame-red gem. This day just kept getting better and better! David barked a laugh at his reaction as he reached for another present.

"Ha, I think the boy likes it! Alright, let's see, this is from Ricky..."

* * *

"Fighters, bow and ready!"

Cole and Tommy bowed respectfully as they stood facing each other in the training room, their second sparring match since they met. Maria stood between them, her talon raised as the two children got into ready stances. A careful silence filled the air as she paused for dramatic effect before slashing her talon down toward the floor and stepping back out of the ring.

"BEGIN!"

The young riolu and the adopted human child leapt at each other, excited grins on their faces as they began their spar. David and Maria Fireheart smiled proudly; the quiet timidity and fear displayed by their child when they first adopted him had all but vanished, replaced with a cheerful and happy young boy who held the pride and confidence befitting a fire-and-fight type.

Laughter filled the air along with cheers and words of encouragement for both Tommy and Cole as the two continued their spar, not a care in the world on their faces as they lost themselves in the thrill of their sport.

A punch was thrown, then skillfully deflected and countered with a kick. A retreating step was followed by a flame charge, which was evaded as an aura ball was sent in response. When Cole was first adopted, he would never have thought of this as a favorite activity—being on the receiving end of physical abuse for the first six years of his life had made him frightened of contact and wary of violence. But his new parents had shown him a new way of looking at the world, and in the process he discovered strength and courage he never knew he had. His style reflected this; very little in the way of defense, focusing on giving his opponent everything he had without fear, flowing from one movement to the next in a flurry of motion that carried with it the burning passion within him.

In a few minutes, the fight was decided with a stalemate, both fighters exhausted but happy, bowing to each other as their friends and family cheered.

With the sparring match concluded, it was finally time for cake; Cole prepared to blow out the candles, a smile on his face as he looked around the room at all those assembled; he knew exactly what he was going to wish for.

 _I wish to stay with mommy and daddy and all my friends forever._

* * *

To say that Cole was tired that evening would be a severe understatement; it didn't take long for the seven-year-old to drift off after being tucked in lovingly by his mother and father. His dreams began innocently enough, but before long they turned dark.

Cole was lying on the ground in a shadowed room. The Worthingtons—the humans who gave birth to him—were looming over him, expressions of hate and rage on their faces as they delivered blow after blow and shouted at him. With every strike that landed on him, his fear grew, and with every hateful word, his confidence began to slip away...

Until he heard new voices. Voices that told him not to fear, that told him he was not alone.

Voices that saved him.

" _You are NOT weak."_

" _You are stronger than you know."_

" _You are a Fireheart!"_

Cole looked up in the direction of the voices, seeing David and Maria Fireheart standing nearby, observing him with a loving gaze, and he immediately knew what he had to do.

He stood up defiantly as the Worthingtons continued to shout at him, their blows seeming weaker and weaker until he barely felt them at all. The shades of his abusers tried desperately to tear his new confidence down by calling him weak, but even that slowly faded into silence as Cole continued to draw strength from the words of his new family. Finally, with all his heart and soul, he shouted in response to the fading abuse the one truth that he knew would banish the pain of his past forever:

" _I'm not weak, and you're not my mommy and daddy! MY NAME IS COLE FIREHEART!"_

In an instant, the threatening figures vanished, along with the shadows, revealing the home he had grown to love; his true mother and father embraced him, and he sank into their loving arms with a joyous shout. Back in reality, Cole smiled happily; the rest of his dreams that night were filled with love and warmth and laughter, without a care or worry in sight. At last, he had banished his past and embraced his new life completely. The future held no more fear for him, because he knew that no matter what, his family and friends would never leave him.

* * *

 _ **Thanks to Sky Hooves for the suggestion on how to continue. Remember to read and review, and I'll see you next chapter!**_


End file.
